Rainy Days
by Naruto-fan-Okami-chan
Summary: To them, it seemed, everything special that happened between them would always happen on a rainy day. This time was no exception. -SasuSaku-AU-oneshot-


**Rainy Days**

**A SasuSaku oneshot**

'"'"

It was raining the day that Sakura first met Sasuke eight years ago. They were both nine. They met when they collided under a tree they had both sought shelter from.

"I-I'm sorry." Sakura apologized as she pulled herself up from the ground and wiped her hands together to get the mud off of them.

"Hn," he grunted as he also stood up from the ground.

Silence fell between the two for several moments. Sakura absentmindedly scraped what mud and grass she could from her skirt. Sasuke leaned idly against the tree trunk.

Out of curiosity, Sakura glanced over at Sasuke, and immediately her mind registered the clothing that he wore.

"You go to my school." Sakura declared, glancing down at her own school uniform.

Sasuke's eyes looked Sakura up and down once, and then he grunted again. Something in Sakura told her that was his sign of agreement.

It fell silent again. Sakura tapped her foot against the ground as she stared out into the rain. Every time she glanced back over at the boy behind her, he stood in the same position with his hair mostly covering his face, staring down at the ground.

Sakura turned to face him. "My name is Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

He made no response. She wondered if he hadn't heard her, but she suddenly lost her courage and turned away.

"_He's really quiet…." _She thought, and then blushed. _"Though I have to admit he _is _kinda cute." _

Gaining back some confidence, Sakura turned back around. "So what's your name?"

Once again, Sasuke said nothing. He just continued to stand there and stare at the ground. Getting a little frustrated, Sakura opened her mouth to ask again a little more forcefully, but then she heard footsteps. She turned her head and saw a woman with long, dark hair running over to the tree she and Sasuke stood under with an umbrella in her hand.

The woman reached them, and Sasuke almost immediately pushed himself away from the tree and went over to her. Sakura immediately caught the resemblance, and picked up that the woman was the silent boy's mother.

"I've been looking for you." His mother declared, taking his hand. "Come on, let's go find your brother so he knows I've found you."

She almost left, but then the woman seemed to realize that Sakura was there. She looked over at the pink-haired girl and smiled.

"Well hello there." She greeted. "Are you stuck here too?"

Sakura didn't quite know what to say to the pretty woman, and simply nodded her head.

"Do you live nearby? We can walk you home." She offered.

Sakura stood speechless for a moment, but then bashfully took a step forward. "O-okay. Thank you."

Sakura walked under the protection of the umbrella, and was inevitably pressed against Sasuke in an effort to keep the three of them under the tiny umbrella. The three set off away from the tree towards Sakura's house.

When they reached Sakura's home, she stood awkwardly in front of the door, not knowing what to say to the two.

The boy's mother smiled. "Okay, now you're safe at home." She looked at Sakura's uniform, and then smiled. "Oh, and you go to my son's school. Maybe you two will become friends." She turned to leave. "Good bye for now, then."

Sasuke began to follow after his mother, but as he walked he looked over his shoulder at the pink-haired girl who still stood at the door. "My name is Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. I'll see you in school." He called.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise at the declaration, and she couldn't even respond in time before the two were gone. She stared out down the road for several moments.

"_Sasuke, huh?" _Sakura smiled. _"And that was his nice, pretty mother." _She blushed. _"And his voice sounded really cute, too. …I wonder if maybe we will get to become friends." _

'"'"'"'"

The next day, Sakura found Sasuke in school sitting alone. She went over to him and thanked him and his mother for walking her home. Sasuke responded with a quiet "it was no problem," and a moment later he ended up tackled by a blond boy he referred to as the "Dobe." The blond looked up at Sakura and then commented on how weird her pink hair was. Sakura responded by punching him in the head. Sasuke was amused by her reaction. Later that day, the blond boy, who Sakura learned was named Naruto, dragged Sasuke with him to sit with Sakura at lunch.

From there, a friendship was formed.

'"'"'"'"

Eight years later.

"Damn rain." Sakura cursed as she sat on a bench under some roofing and stared out at the mentioned rain.

Sakura glanced down at the stack of books beside her and sighed. _"If I didn't have these books, I'd easily just walk home in the rain…." _

Sakura leaned back against the bench and stared up at the roofing. She guessed it was around four in the afternoon. She hoped the rain finished soon. She had to be home by five to help her mother make dinner or she'd surely receive hell.

From the side, Sakura heard the sound of footsteps. She hadn't even turned her head yet when someone was suddenly beside her. She slightly jumped in surprise at the appearance, but then relaxed as she looked up and saw who stood beside her.

"Sasuke!" She exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. A habit he had never quite gotten over, even in the years she'd known him. He held up a plastic bag. "Grocery shopping."

"Oh…." Sakura breathed, and then looked up as she felt something wet drop onto her head. She saw the umbrella Sasuke held over himself. It dripped rainwater off the sides. Sakura scooted away from the dripping water.

Sasuke glanced down at the books on the bench. "More books? Didn't you just get some to read a couple weeks ago?"

"I finished those."

Sasuke sighed. "You read way too much."

"You read a lot, too."

"Not as much as you." Sasuke snorted. "But anyway…why are you out here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sakura gestured towards the rain. "Books and rain don't mix well, and I forgot my umbrella at home."

"Hn," Sasuke responded. It was silent for a moment, and then he took a step closer so his umbrella was over her head. "Come on then, I'll walk you home."

"Oh, you don't have to!" Sakura replied. "I'm sure the rain will stop soon, and then I can—"

"Just come on." Sasuke half ordered her, slipping the handles of the plastic bag onto his wrist and picking up one of the books in Sakura's stack. "Or I'll throw this out into the rain."

Sakura snatched out for her book, but Sasuke pulled it away. "Oh, don't be mean!" Sakura chided, standing up.

"Then let's go." Sasuke responded, and started to walk towards the edge of the covering.

Sakura heaved a sigh, but reached down, picked up her books, and joined Sasuke under the umbrella as they stepped out into the open.

Sasuke dropped the book he had taken onto the stack Sakura carried. The two walked together in silence for the whole trip. When they reached Sakura's house, Sakura smiled up at Sasuke.

"Thanks for walking me home, I guess. Even though you threatened me to make me do it." She stated.

Sasuke smirked. "Then you're welcome, I guess, even if I had to make you bend to threats."

Sakura giggled lightly, and then opened the door. "I'll see you at school."

"Uh…" Sasuke stammered, making Sakura stop. It was highly unusual for Sasuke to stammer. She stared at him with a perplexed expression, and then he pointed behind her.

Sakura turned her head, and then she realized what had caught the Uchiha. Two women stood staring out the door at them.

"Mom." Both Sakura and Sasuke declared at the same time.

Mikoto and Sakura's mother, Yumi, both smiled at the two. "Hello." They both responded.

Mikoto smiled at her son. "Were you walking Sakura home? How sweet."

Sasuke averted his gaze to the ground at that. "Hn."

"What are you doing here Mrs. Uchiha?" Sakura asked politely.

"Well, I didn't know when you'd be home." Yumi answered for Mikoto. "I found your umbrella in the closet and saw the rain, so I thought you'd be stuck for a while. So I called Mikoto over to help me out with dinner. She was going to stay over to eat as well."

"You should stay for a while, too, Sasuke." Mikoto announced.

"Yes, please!" Yumi agreed.

"Uh…sure." Sasuke answered, and then he and Sakura stepped into the house. Sasuke shook his umbrella outside and then closed it. He propped it up in a corner as Sakura shut the door.

"So now that you're here, Sakura, you can help us out." Yumi stated as they all moved towards the kitchen. "We were planning on making some—"

Internally, Sakura sighed as her mother explained what they'd be making. She glanced over at Sasuke, who walked beside her. His being in her house wasn't anything unusual, especially considering that soon after they had become friends, Mikoto and Yumi had basically united together like long lost sisters. It wasn't unusual for Sakura to walk into Sasuke's house with him and find her mother at the counter talking with Sasuke's mom. The opposite was equally true.

Everything was just life.

'"'"'"'"

"One more! One more! Yeah! Gotcha! Haha! I win!" Sakura cheered, and waved the controller in her hand triumphantly.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, "I've still beaten you four times. You've only beaten me three times."

"Then let's play another round, and I'll tie that score!" Sakura challenged.

"Heh, you're on. But when I win this round, I win the whole thing."

"But you won't win!"

"We'll see." Sasuke stated as he pressed a button to go on to another round of their fighting game. The two were at Sasuke's house.

"So where did you say your parents and brother went again?" Sakura asked as they mashed buttons and kept their eyes glued to the screen.

"Itachi's at a friend's place probably drinking beer and playing cards. Mom and Dad went to the next town for a business meeting. They said they'd be back tomorrow."

"Ah," Sakura responded. The two continued their game for a few minutes, and then she gave a whoop. "Oh! I _told you_ I'd beat you! It's a tie!" She grinned. "Unless you want a tie breaker."

Sasuke smirked. "Nah. Let's leave it at this."

"Oh, scared your record of Mr. Undefeatable will be torn away from you by a _girl_?" Sakura taunted.

"No. My thumbs hurt from mashing buttons for two hours." Sasuke responded.

"That's what they all say when they're chicken."

"Sakura," Sasuke huffed, even though an amused smirk graced his features. "Besides, it's getting late. You need to get home."

Sakura glanced over at a clock and gasped. "Ten o'clock? Where did the time go?"

"Do I have to refer back to the hurting thumbs?"

Sakura stood up and started to search for her bag. A sound made her stop, though. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That noise." Sakura clarified. It fell silent. After a moment, the sound of pattering revealed itself.

Sasuke stood up from the couch they had been seated on and walked over to the window. He pushed aside the curtain and sighed. "It's raining."

"Raining?" Sakura echoed. "But I didn't bring my car! I can't walk home in the rain! Could you drive me?"

"I don't think so." Sasuke answered. "Remember? Everyone's gone, so the cars are, too."

"Ah, you're right." Sakura groaned. She glanced out the window at the storm. "And I don't think a girl walking alone in a storm in the middle of the night can bode well."

"I think Naruto shouldn't have let you come to that horror movie marathon." Sasuke muttered. "Though I could walk you if you're scared."

"I'm not scared!" Sakura retorted. "But…I also don't want to leave you to walk home alone. Maybe I should call my mom to…ah, wait, damn it. She's working the night shift this week." Sakura sighed. "What are we supposed to do?"

Sasuke said nothing for a moment, and then he disappeared down the hall with a "wait here." Sakura stood in the living room for a few minutes, waiting for Sasuke.

Eventually, Sasuke emerged from the hallway with a pile of sheets, a blanket, and a pillow. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Oh! I don't know!" Sakura declared, looking down at the ground. "I mean…I guess there's no other choice at this point but for me to sleep over, but I mean…uh…I don't want to take up your couch or anything."

"You won't be." Sasuke responded, dropping the pile onto the couch. "I'll sleep out here. You can take my bed."

At that, Sakura almost jumped in surprise. Her face reddened. "O-oh! No! No! You don't have to do that! I can take the couch! You don't have to give up your bed for me!"

Sasuke looked at Sakura for a moment, and then turned his attention to laying the sheet over the couch. "Go ahead. I don't mind."

Sakura's blush worsened. Her fingers fiddled with her shirt nervously. "Uh…but…I mean…."

"What?" Sasuke pressed. Sakura couldn't think of a response. He looked her up and down. "If you want something more comfortable to sleep in, I have some old gym clothes in the bottom of my dresser. They'll probably still be kind of big, though."

Sakura found herself unable to speak, and certainly unable to argue. A while later, Sakura found herself laying in Sasuke's bed wearing his old gym clothes. She inhaled the strong scent of Sasuke in the pillow and sheets, and let out a sigh. She felt slightly guilty thinking about Sasuke sleeping on the couch in his own house. However, she eventually managed to fall asleep.

The next morning, the couple hours she spent at Sasuke's house were very awkward, especially when Itachi came home wondering about last night's "events." Sasuke glared at his older brother and told him he was being stupid. There was an equally awkward conversation to have afterwards when Sakura got home to her mother, who had been informed by her father that she hadn't returned home last night.

Sitting in her room that day, Sakura reflected on the events of last night, and she couldn't help the blush and small smile that reached her face.

"_Sasuke has always been so kind…even in situations like that. And that's what I like about him." _

'"'"'"'"

"Ugh! Where did this rain come from?" Sakura cried as she dashed down the road.

"The clouds came really quickly." Sasuke answered as he ran alongside her.

Sakura turned and ran up the driveway of her house. Sasuke followed after her. Sakura quickly opened the door and entered. Sasuke came in as well and Sakura shut the door.

She blew out a relieved sigh. "I'll go get some towels." She declared as she went down the hallway.

Sasuke stood at the doorway for a moment, dripping wet. He ran a hand through his soaked hair and sighed. A thoughtful look momentarily reached his face, but it quickly disappeared as Sakura came out of the hallway holding a couple towels.

Sakura handed Sasuke one of the clean towels, and then proceeded to dry her hair with her own. "This is one of the things I don't like about this place. It rains regularly, but when it rains, it _rains_. You end up soaked through in seconds."

Sasuke grunted as he finished toweling his hair, and then he started to dry off his face, arms, and neck.

Sakura took a step towards the stairway beside them. "I'm going to go change into some dry clothes. Um…well, my parents aren't home right now, but I don't think my dad will mind if you use his stuff for a bit till we get your clothes dried."

"Fine." Sasuke responded, and then Sakura went up the stairs.

Once more, a thoughtful looked came onto Sasuke's face. He stared at the place Sakura had just stood for several minutes, lost in his thoughts. When Sakura finally came back downstairs dressed in fresh clothes and holding some folded up clothes in her hands, Sasuke once again pulled out of his thoughts. He took her father's clothes, and then went automatically to the bathroom without instruction considering he already knew Sakura's house practically as well as his own.

Eventually, the two found themselves sitting in Sakura's room watching tv. From below, Sasuke could hear a rattling hum as his clothes were tossed around in the dryer. He felt a little awkward in Sakura's father's clothing. They fit surprisingly well, but he was unused to wearing anything other than his own clothing.

As a show ended, Sakura stretched out on her bed, and then glanced out the window. "Oh, hey, it looks like the rain stopped."

Sasuke took his eyes off the television screen and looked over towards the window. He hadn't even noticed the absence of the sound of rain pattering against the glass. He shifted in the computer desk chair he sat in. "Yeah."

Sakura turned her attention to Sasuke. "So then did you want to get home soon? I'm sure your clothes are almost done by now."

Sasuke contemplated it for a moment, and then nodded. "Fine." He stood up, and Sakura followed his motion.

Sakura moved towards the door, walked out, and went towards the stairs to get to the dryer. She glanced back at Sasuke, who slowly started to follow after her.

The two reached the laundry room. Sakura stopped the dryer, opened it up, and felt Sasuke's clothes for any signs of dampness. She smiled as she pulled the clothing out. "I think they're ready." She handed Sasuke his clothes, and he wordlessly retreated towards the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Sasuke reemerged from the bathroom carrying Sakura's father's clothes in a bundle. Sakura intercepted him in front of the stairs, and momentarily disappeared to throw the clothes into a dirty laundry hamper.

When Sakura returned, the two found themselves standing in front of the door.

Sakura smiled up at Sasuke. "Well then, I guess maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right." Sasuke responded, and then he glanced down at the floor. "Actually, _are_ you busy tomorrow?"

Sakura glanced to the side thoughtfully as she tried to conjure up a mental schedule for tomorrow. "Uh…well, it'll be Sunday. I usually go shopping with my mom in the morning for food. Then—"

"You typically lock yourself up and do any homework needed. Then you usually spend some time with Ino around town." Sasuke finished.

Sakura laughed. "Am I that predictable?"

"Considering that's what you've been doing about every Sunday since we started eighth grade, yeah, you kind of are."

"Oh, well then, I guess I'll be breaking that schedule tomorrow, because actually Ino's not in town this weekend, and I already finished all my homework."

"So you're free?"

"As far as I know, unless Ino magically appears at my doorstep tomorrow, which I highly doubt. The town she went to has a giant mall."

"Ah." Sasuke grunted, knowing the statement was self-explanatory.

"So what? Did you want to do something? Hang out? Get beat by me on our fighting games?" Sakura let out a little laugh.

Sasuke didn't share in the amusement of her joke. He stared at her face, unspeaking. Sakura met eyes with his, and the two held each other's gaze for several seconds. Sasuke's eyes began to trail down away from her own, and this broke their connection. He looked away. "I don't know…."

Sakura pulled back, as if from a trance. "Hm? Oh. Okay. Well, you have my number. If you think of something, I should be free the whole afternoon."

Sasuke turned to leave. "Right."

"Bye." Sakura called, and began to turn away towards the stairs.

Sasuke gripped the doorknob tightly for a second. Then, he took in a deep breath. "Wait a minute, Sakura."

Sakura turned on her heel to face the Uchiha, but she didn't expect it when Sasuke whipped around to face her as well, grabbed her by the wrist, pulled her forward, and pressed his lips against hers.

In a normal situation, something like this would have sent Sakura's mind spiraling around with questions. "What just happened," "why did it happen," "what should I do?" But instead, Sakura's whole mind completely shut off as a jolt coursed through her from Sasuke's kiss. Within a second the only reaction that she had was to kiss him back.

Sakura could hardly remember when exactly she started to feel something more than just friendship for the Uchiha. When they had met, it had already been apparent to her that he was an attractive boy. The years they spent together afterwards getting to know each other better and developing their strong bond only seemed to boost her image of Sasuke. She had known for a while now that it was certain: she had fallen for him.

The kiss itself was gentle, yet behind it Sakura could feel that Sasuke was holding back. He wanted to go farther. Sakura pressed closer to tell him he could, and he almost immediately took the approval to go for more.

The need for air separated them. Panting, Sasuke rested his hands on her shoulders, and leaned their foreheads together.

"Tomorrow. At one. Meet me at the bridge by the school." He declared through his huffs.

"Okay." Sakura breathed. After parting, Sakura's brain finally started to kick back into gear. Her face flushed to a bright pink, her heart beat wildly in her chest, and her whole body felt like it was tingling, especially her lips.

"Bye." Sasuke stated, also a little flushed in the face. He quickly turned and walked out of the house.

Once he closed the door, Sakura had to steady herself against the wall to keep from collapsing. She had kissed him. He had kissed her. After years of friendship, the sudden move was entirely unexpected. Sakura's hand moved over her mouth and she started to take deep breaths to calm down her heart and the blush on her cheeks.

"_Tomorrow. One o'clock. The bridge by the school." _Sakura's eyes shut. _"I'll be there."_

'"'"'"'"

Sakura ran as fast as the slippery ground would allow her. The rain above pounded around her relentlessly. Her umbrella only served to completely shield her upper body as she dashed towards her location: the bridge by the school.

Upon her arrival, Sakura was shocked to see Sasuke standing on the bridge. Not because he had waited there for an extra half hour because of Sakura's running late, but because he stood in the rain with no protection. No jacket. No umbrella. He was already soaked through with rain, but he continued to stare straight out into the river that ran swiftly from the rainfall underneath him.

Sakura ran up to join him. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I slept in and my mom waited for me before we went shopping, and then we got stuck with that really slow bagger and—" Sakura's words died in her throat as Sasuke turned to face her. The look on his face made her freeze. It was a look she was unaccustomed to, one she rarely ever saw on the Uchiha's face. It was a deeply saddened look that could only mean one thing: bad, bad things were happening.

Sakura took a step closer to him, concern etched onto her face. She asked him what was wrong. She grasped his hand tightly and brought the umbrella up to shield him from the rain. Sasuke said four words, but they were enough. The umbrella in Sakura's hand dropped to the ground. She felt all the blood rush out of her, leaving her feeling cold.

"You're…what?" Sakura choked out, still in shock. "Leaving? Leaving the country? But…but why?"

"My dad is why. He got a job overseas. It's paying a lot. He couldn't turn it down, but he couldn't leave the family. So…we're going with him."

"When?" Sakura's whole body felt numb at that point.

"In a few days."

"Will you be back?"

"I don't know."

Silence fell as Sakura processed what Sasuke told her. He was leaving the country. Leaving them behind. Leaving her behind. After what happened yesterday….

A small voice began to nag in Sakura's ear. "How long have you known?"

Sasuke looked down at the bridge. "For a few days now."

At that answer, a sudden rage bubbled up inside of her. "So…you did what you did…knowing that we wouldn't truly be able to become…something?"

"Well…there's always long distance."

"But it's never the same." Sakura declared. She felt her throat constrict as tears came forward. "It's never the same. Maybe after a long time of being together it's easier, but brand new…after you'd already known. It just…it makes it feel like the only reason you did it was for the pleasure of getting to do it once! Then just moving on! It's not the same!" Sakura's voice began to rise.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke took a step towards her, but Sakura recoiled back.

She grit her teeth, knowing that she was about to get furious. She knew it was at him, but she didn't want to take it out on him. She quickly swiped up her umbrella and ran off, leaving Sasuke behind.

When Sakura got home, she thought long and hard about what had happened. Sasuke had kissed her. A huge sign that he felt for her as she did for him. Then, he told her he was leaving, and that he'd known he would be, even as he pressed his lips to hers for the first time. Sure, he had offered the option of a long distance relationship, but simply the concept of being any more to Sasuke than a friend was still strange to her.

Even if she agreed, what would happen? They had a couple romantic days together, and then he was gone. The problem with long distance relationships were always that they were never a substitute for real ones where the couple could actually see each other regularly to get to be a couple. Long distance took away all of the intimacy and replaced it with hollow feelings and worries about what the other was doing and whether they could really take their word over the phone that they were the only person they were seeing. It was a very stressful sort of relationship to hold.

"_And even knowing that…he still did it." _Sakura thought. _"Even knowing how stressful and empty it would feel, he proposed it. Even knowing that he was leaving…he enacted it in the first place." _Hot tears began to run down her cheeks. _"I can't believe him…."_

Sakura didn't see Sasuke at all those last days before he left. He didn't go to school; probably because he was too busy packing. He didn't come to any little afterschool meetings that Naruto organized if he heard that Sakura would be there. Sakura still felt too hurt to pick up her phone to call or text him. Sasuke never contacted her either.

It was by word of Naruto that Sakura discovered Sasuke had left. He came in sniffling, and even the comfort of his girlfriend, Hinata, couldn't keep him from eventually bawling in the middle of class about missing his best friend. Sakura felt a stab in her heart watching Naruto break down. For the past few days Sakura had felt emotions mixed with anger every time she thought of Sasuke and his leaving. But now, all she felt was emptiness.

'"'"'"'"

It had been a year since Sasuke had left, and Sakura hadn't spoken a word to him since the day she stormed off from the bridge she now stood on, staring down into the river as raindrops hit the rushing surface.

Naruto told her many times that Sasuke asked about her a lot over the phone. She knew he felt bad for what he did, and in her heart she had already forgiven him. The problem was telling him. She hadn't had the guts to pick up a phone and call him since he'd left and told him he was forgiven and that she was sorry for getting mad. She didn't know how to start. Mentally she simulated over a hundred scenarios and approaches she could use to tell him, but in the end she just felt silly and had given up.

Now as she stood there, everything made sense to her. Sasuke did what he did because like her he had bottled up his feelings for her for a long time. When he was told that his family was moving, his secret situation became more and more urgent. He could either make a move and risk harming their friendship, or do nothing and risk that she could end up falling for some other guy. He chose the first risk.

It was understandable now. Sasuke had weighed by feeling what it would be like if both choices went through a worst case scenario. And apparently, he felt so strongly for her that the idea of her being with another man was worse than the possibility of harming their friendship. So he did what he did.

With all of that figured out, now Sakura's only dilemma was talking to him. Even if she did have the courage to do it, what would happen? Would they start a long distance relationship? Would he even want to be with her? Does he still have feelings for her? She had no way of figuring out.

Suddenly, a ring broke through her cloud of thoughts. Snapping back to reality, Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out her ringing cellphone. The caller ID indicated that it was Naruto.

"What's up, Naruto?" She greeted, turning to lean against the railing. A movement off in the distance caught her eye as Naruto began to speak.

"Sakura! Sakura! I have news! You won't believe this! It's—" Naruto's words were lost as Sakura's cellphone slipped from her hand and clattered onto the wet ground.

"It's…" Sakura breathed, watching what had caught her eye earlier move closer to the bridge. "It's you."

Stopping at the end of the bridge, Sasuke stared straight at Sakura with his trademark smirk on his face.

At that moment, everything else was forgotten. Her cellphone, her umbrella, the rain. It was just Sasuke. She bolted towards him, slipped right before she reached him, and tumbled into his arms, making him drop the umbrella he had been holding.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried as she clutched tightly to him. "Sasuke! You're…you're here!"

Sasuke stared down at her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Yeah…I'm here."

After pressing her face into his neck for a while and simply taking in his scent, Sakura pulled away slightly to look him in the face as she questioned him. "Why are you here? Did something happen? Is this just a visit? Are you leaving again? Why did you never call? What happened?"

"I can't answer all of those at once." Sasuke responded, making Sakura shut her mouth. He sighed. "My dad decided that he liked the job he had here better than the one he had overseas. It took a bit, but he managed to get his old job back, and so we were able to move back here."

Sakura didn't know what to say afterwards, so she went with what she wanted to do. She cupped Sasuke's cheek with one hand, and laced her fingers through his hair with her other. With that, she pulled him down and kissed him. Sasuke seemed to have expected this, and reacted positively to her action. He pulled her against him and kissed her back with all he had. The same sensations from their first kiss a year ago coursed through them. Sakura reluctantly pulled away and took a big gulp of air.

"I guess that means you're not mad at me anymore." Sasuke inquired.

Sakura's look softened, and she moved in to give Sasuke a much gentler kiss. When she pulled away she said, "You've been forgiven for a year. I just never had the guts to call you. I didn't know what to say."

"That's how I felt…." Sasuke admitted. "I asked Naruto pretty much non-stop about you. Every time he'd call I'd ask how you were doing. He eventually got the message so every time he picked up he'd greet me with how you've been."

Sakura laughed. Sasuke leaned in and stopped her laughter with his mouth. This time when they pulled away, Sakura asked, "So you're here to stay?"

Sasuke nodded. "Definitely. Even if my dad decided to go back to his overseas job, I'm eighteen now. Legally, I can move out to stay here. I'm not leaving you again."

Sakura smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. So…does this also mean we can finally…I dunno…be a couple?"

Sasuke's smirk morphed into a light smile. "If you want to. I know I do."

At that, Sakura kissed him again. "Of course I want to! I've wanted to for years!"

Sasuke chuckled. "Great."

Sakura ran her hand through Sasuke's now drenched hair. She giggled. "Would you like to come by my place to dry off?"

Sasuke reached up and laced his fingers with hers. "I'd love to. But I'm going to be there for a while."

Sakura gave Sasuke a smirk that mirrored his own. "I wouldn't expect it any differently."

With that, the couple strode off the bridge and walked through the rain to Sakura's house.

**THE END**

**Finished! Wow…I just wrote these last six pages here in a few hours. (Can't say a sitting because I got dragged out by my bother at 7:30 at night…) Though actually right now it's 9:30 at night, and considering it's a school night I should really be in bed. I just desperately wanted to get this done with! I've been sapped of inspiration lately, so once something came, I acted immediately on it! So, maybe I'll return in a bit to write out a little bit more of this author's note, but for now I say: till later, readers!  
And now returning the day I post this: sorry guys, my week was wayyyy more hectic than I thought it would be, so I never had the time or inspiration to finish the 13****th**** chapter of AtR. (Hell, I may actually have to go in and do some changes.) So I bring you guys this pre-done oneshot in substitute. (Man, I'm starting to run out of pre-written oneshots…. That proves how much I've been writing….) So, hopefully till next week people! **


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